Recent Studies on How the Presence of Pets Affects People During Life 
Transitions 

by Ann R. Howie, ACSW

The Presence of Pets in Young Families Experiencing Cancer
What is the impact of the presence of pets on families undergoing a life crisis? 
Victoria Ravels, Francis Mesagno, Daniel Darus, and Diane Gottfried of the 
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York studied this issue and 
presented a paper at the 1994 Delta Society Conference documenting the results 
of their research. 
They found that the presence of pets can have several beneficial consequences. 
The presence of companion animals, especially cats and dogs, had a beneficial 
impact on the adult caregiver while caring for the spouse who had cancer. 
Parents reported that pets helped them feel better when sad. A surprising number 
felt that pet care was not a burden, even though they were caring for their 
spouse. Adults who were terminally ill frequently remarked that their pets were 
important in helping them cope when they felt distressed during their illness by 
providing a reason to live and consistent companionship and affection. The 
companionship of pets (particularly dogs) helped children in families adjust 
better to the serious illness and death of a parent. The benefits were observed 
in five areas: children received love at a time when their need for love was 
enormous; children were able to confide their feelings more readily to their 
pets than to people; taking care of their pet helped maintain daily structure in 
the midst of a vast disruption in their daily routines; children felt competent 
by taking care of the pet at a time when their lives felt out of control; and 
children felt needed by their pet. 

Pets' Roles in Children's Emotional Development
Preschool through first-grade children view their pets as playmates and 
protectors. This view changes by the time children reach third through fifth 
grades; pets are then seen as a confidant and source of emotional support. 
Regardless of age and developmental level, however, most children view their 
pets as special friends and important members of their family. Sandra 
Triebenbacher from East Carolina University reports that most children talk to 
their pets. In addition, most children feel that mutual "love" is conveyed 
verbally and nonverbally between them and their pets. 
When children are going through a transitional stage in their lives, they will 
choose a transitional object, such as a blanket or teddy bear. They keep this 
object close to themselves, and it gives them comfort. Triebenbacher found that 
children will interact with their pets in much the same way they do with 
transitional objects: rubbing, stroking, cuddling, and kissing. In this way, she 
learned that children may use their pets as transitional objects, seeing their 
companion pets as providing comfort, security, and emotional support.

Companion Animals at the Time of Military Transfer
Military service members may encounter formidable barriers to taking their 
family pet with them at the time of transfer to a new service location. Transfer 
is inherently a disruptive and stressful time for military families. Having to 
make a decision whether or not the family pet can remain with the family adds 
substantially to many families' stress. In addition, having to leave a pet 
behind can worsen family adjustment problems in the new location. Chumley, 
Gorski, Saxton, Granger and New, from the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and the 
University of Tennessee, studied this issue. They found that service members and 
their families often consider their pet to be a member of the family. High 
levels of pet attachment on the part of the person who had primary care of the 
pet led to more companion animals accompanying their military family at transfer 
time. Even when attachments were high, however, animals were sometimes left 
behind, and the researchers identified several barriers within the military 
system to transferring pets. They identified two important community health 
consequences of keeping pets and their families together: an animal surplus 
(leading to free-ranging animals or euthanasia) is avoided when families cannot 
find an alternate permanent residence for their pets; and emotional trauma and 
consequent personal and family problems are reduced. 

References
Raveis, V.H., Mesagno, F., Darus, D., and Gottfried, D., (1993). 
"Psychological Consequences of Pet Ownership of Terminally Ill Cancer 
Patients." Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute, Department of Social 
Work Research. 
Triebenbacher, S.L. (1994). "Pets as Transitional Objects: Their Role in 
Children's Emotional Development." Department of Child Development and Family 
Relations, School of Human Environmental Sciences, East Carolina University, 
Greenville. NC. 
Chumley, P.R., Gorski, J.D., Saxton, A.M., Granger, B.P. and New, J.C. Jr. 
(1994). "Companion Animal Attachment and Military Transfer." Anthrozoцs, 7:4, 
258-271. 

Originally published in Interactions, Vol. 13 #3, 1995, p. 7.

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